Archbishop Kattumana, Papal Delegate To Church

Archbishop Abraham Kattumana, 51, the special delegate of the pope to the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, was the titular head of the church, which has 10,000 members in the Chicago area.

A resident of Kerala, India, he died Monday in Rome after a visit there with the pope.

"Archbishop Kattumana was very interested in the development of the church in Chicago," said Rev. Matthew Panthalanickal, pastor of Mar Thoma Shleeha parish in Bellwood. "I visited with him in Kerala in February, and he inquired extensively about it."

The church was raised by the pope in 1992 to the status of a major archiepiscopal church. Before that, the rite, which tradition says dates back to the visit by the Apostle Thomas to India, has been governed by archbishops. No one of them, however, was recognized as the superior over the others. Pope John Paul II in 1992 appointed Cardinal Anthony Padyara the head of the rite. Because of the latter's poor health, Archbishop Kattumana was made the acting head.

He had been ordained an archbishop in 1991.

The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is the second largest Oriental church in the Catholic communion. Its 3 million members are spread across 21 dioceses. There are approximately 50,000 members in the United States.

Survivors include four brothers and four sisters.

A special prayer service will be said for Archbishop Kattumana Sunday after the regular 10 a.m. mass in Mar Thoma Shleeha Catholic Church, 5000 St. Charles Rd., Bellwood.